My journey as a writer has been a thrilling one to this point. When Lisa Grigsby asked me to write an article about absinthe many, many years ago, little did I know she was opening a whole new world to me. She has a way of doing that to people. This blog, and business, is due in part to her encouragement and "gentle" prodding. Every article I write is an education about something, from local beers to international cocktail trends. In fact, this #100DaysOfCocktails project stemmed from a desire to learn more about classic cocktails (Day 1 to 30), modern cocktails (Day 31 to 60, and then applying what I have learned and experimenting (Day 61 to 100). One of the biggest challenges I received as a writer was to learn about sherry for an article for Alcohol Professor. I had no idea that sherry was such a dynamic and interesting wine, with a range that is as dry as vermouth (fino) to sweet and rich like port (Pedro Ximenez). It is also a spirit that has been nearly forgotten until the last few years, as aperitifs and other lesser known liquors have been coming back to the forefront.
PUNCH Editor In Chief Talia Baiocchi felt the same way. That is the best reason I can think of to write an entire book on the subject. Sherry: A Modern Guide to the Wine World's Best Kept Secret is a year old now, and something that should be enjoyed by anyone who would like to find out more about this amazing wine. It is full of the history and styles of the wine, as well as a healthy section on recipes for classic and modern cocktails. One of them caught my eye, The Second Marriage by Dan Greenbaum. He is also a lover of sherry, and it shows through his many cocktail creations. The Second Marriage was an exploration sweetening the Old Fashioned by using Pedro Ximenez sherry.
It may be a second marriage, but it is a lovely one.
The Second Marriage (by Dan Greenbaum via Sherry:A Modern Guide to the Wine World's Best Kept Secret)
.5 oz/ 15 mL Pedro Ximenez sherry (Valdespino El Candado is recommended)
1 oz./ 30 mL cavaldos
1 oz./ 30 mL bourbon (Elijah Craig 12 Year is recommended)
Glass: Rocks
Garnish: Orange peel
Ice: Large cube
Pour the ingredients into the rocks glass over the ice cube. Stir, then garnish with the orange peel.
How can you not like this one? It all just works together. It would take someone who knows sherry to even begin exploring this path, and Mr. Greenbaum found a great destination for it. Cavaldos is becoming a favorite spirit of mine, because it has a nice flavor AND it is readily available. Maybe an inspiration for another article. The difficult part for most would be finding the right pedro ximenez sherry. If you can do that, the rest will fall right into place.